


Unexpected Assistance

by DeepPerplexity



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Snapedom - Fandom
Genre: Assistance, Friendship, Gen, Personal Growth, changing views, unlikely friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:46:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28426482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeepPerplexity/pseuds/DeepPerplexity
Summary: Secret Santa wish from littl_prince:"An unlikely Severus - Hagrid friendship AU (whether it’s while Severus is at Hogwarts as a student or later on than that)! I’d love to see them becoming friends or snippets of their time together <3"Summary:Severus had been all over the place to find Aconite for the Wolfsbane potion he was in charge of providing for Lupin, but all stores seemed to have run out completely. But as he was sitting in The Leaky Cauldron Hagrid comes around and provides some unexpected assistance on the matter - while also giving Severus something to think about and examine...
Relationships: Platonic Hagrid & Snape, Rubeus Hagrid & Severus Snape
Kudos: 8





	Unexpected Assistance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [littl_prince](https://archiveofourown.org/users/littl_prince/gifts).



> **A/N:** I’m sorry about how I write Hagrid speaking - I find it truly difficult to know how the frick-frack to write it O.O And, this could be cannon, so not very AU perhaps but littl_prince didn't mind so <3

* * *

Severus had searched all day throughout Diagon Alley, and the less pleasant parts as well, but he could not find a single piece of Aconite anywhere. He was desperate for the plant as it was used for brewing the Wolfsbane potion, currently required by Lupin as he was a professor at Hogwarts and Dumbledore had asked Severus to make sure the man had access to the potion for the safety of the students. 

Severus hung his head slightly as he sipped on a glass of firewhiskey where he was sat by a nearly obscured table at the furthest end of The Leaky Cauldron. He was exhausted. Thoroughly run down and spent. Not only did he have to take care of extra classes when Lupin was out of sorts but Black was on the loose and he did everything he could to make sure the damn Potter boy didn’t do anything stupid - like get himself killed by a mad murderer escaped from Azkaban. 

Severus huffed as he drained his glass.  _ This year will surely be the death of me, _ he thought as he placed the glass back on the table. In the next moment, a giant hand slapped him hard on the shoulder. Severus coughed as he glared up at whoever had slapped him.    
“Oh, sorry ‘bout that, didn’ mean tha clap yeh so hard.” It was Hagrid, the half-giant that worked at Hogwarts as keeper of keys and grounds. 

Severus sighed as he sneered at the bushy face. Hagrid took a seat on a chair next to him and Severus leaned away ever so slightly as the man was, quite frankly, huge.    
“‘ow yeh doin’ professor? Yeh lookin’ tired,” Hagrid said with a slight smile half-hidden by the beard he wore. Severus sighed as his eyes focused on the empty glass in front of him.    
“That is none of your concern, Hagrid.” 

Severus spoke a bit too harshly perhaps, his voice more of a drawl than anything but Hagrid didn’t seem to mind too much as he just chuckled.    
“Yeh a college, no?” he said as if he just expected Severus to unload on him. That, however, was not something Severus did. He rarely spoke of what troubled him and less so of how he felt or were doing.    
“Indeed, that does, however, not mean we are on speaking terms,” he stated in a gruff drawl.  _ Would you please just take your offish ways somewhere else?  _ The thought was harsh and Severus did feel a bit bad about thinking it. Not that he showed it, nor could Hagrid know what he thought either. 

“Yeh ought to know when teh ask fo’ help, professor. Yeh workin’ teh ‘ard.” Severus sneered at Hagrid words as his glass refilled. He took it to his lips and sipped it. A huge goblet of butterbeer appeared before Hagrid and Severus wanted to huff. The giant man was apparently not planning on going anywhere else anytime soon, which forced him to accept the half-giant’s company as he wasn’t planning on going anywhere soon either. 

_ ~43 minutes later…~ _

Severus sighed as Hagrid rambled on about some creature he wanted to have as a pet - no matter how that creature was classified. The man surely could talk, well, blabber on and on and by Merlin then he blabbered some more.    
“.. so I said to teh man, ain’t no problem dealin’ with a dragon afte’ Fluffy.” Severus tilted his head as that sentence amused him ever so slightly.    
“Surely you understand the difference between a dog and a dragon?” Severus said with an arched brow and Hagrid chuckled.    
“Sure do, bu’ teh trick is teh know ‘ow to calm a beast down,” Hagrid said and Severus nearly rolled his eyes. 

He was not about to get into an argument of the difference between a dog and a Dragon, even if the dog was huge and had three heads.    
“Bu’ enough ‘bout me,” Hagrid said and Severus could not help to feel elated at that. Until Hagrid asked what was troubling him, and by now he had had enough of the man’s blabbering to remain silent. So he told him; that he had not managed to procure any Aconite for the Wolfsbane potion he was in charge of providing to Lupin. 

Hagrid seemed befuddled by the statement. As if the man was unaware of Lupins state, _ well, perhaps he is unaware of what a dangerous creature Dumbledore has let loose at Hogwarts.  _ Severus sighed deeply and proceeded to ask Hagrid if he knew of Lupin's werewolf state, the man did not. Severus shook his head. He would have expected that at least all of the staff knew in case something happened. But clearly, the Headmaster had been foolish in that regard as well. 

“Oh, bu’ I ’ave what yeh need professor,” Hagrid exclaimed joyously as he rummaged around in his coat. Searching for something. His giant hand pulled out a little satin bag that was almost completely see-through. Within the delicate fabric held in the brutal-looking hands were a nicely tied bundle of Aconite. He handed it over to Severus who sighed in relief. 

He did not enjoy having to do the potions on top of everything else that was expected of him, but it would keep the students safe as long as Lupin took it and that was enough of a motive to keep on doing it.    
“Thank you, Hagrid. This, helps,” Severus said as he stuffed the little bag in one of the pockets of his cloak.    
“‘Appy teh help,” Hagrid said with a smile as he lifted a third goblet of Butterbear to his lips and drank freely.  _ Thank Merlin it’s not strong alcohol, _ Severus thought as he watched the man drink heartily. 

“Yeh know, yeh not so terrifyin’ as some think,” Hagrid said with a smile as Severus raised a brow at him.    
“Is that so?” Hagrid hummed and drank some more to empty the goblet before he sat it down with a thud on the table.    
“Do enlighten me,” Severus continued.    
“Well, yeh nice an’ carin’,” Hagrid started, “yeh always help and yeh do it all. I woulda’ collapsed if I did 'alf teh stuff yeh doin’.” Severus raised an eyebrow at Hagrid yet again. But the large man just smiled and hummed a little as if agreeing with his own words. 

Severus felt a bit embarrassed by Hagrid's words to be frank. And he felt guilty for thinking so lowly of the half-giant. He had, actually, never really spoken with the man as they kept to different parts of Hogwarts and had no real reason to speak or interact other than during staff meetings and Hagrid was mostly just there, even though he more often than not weren’t needed and the matters rarely concerned anything that involved him. But he always showed up with a smile and a friendly word or two. 

“You may be alone in that opinion,” Severus simply stated and Hagrid huffed.    
“Hogwash, yeh a very nice person Snape.” Severus nearly rolled his eyes again as Hagrid talked.    
“Well, some find me to be, well, not nice. And I do not blame them, I am happy with how it is though. I do not mind the students not liking me, I am aware of who I am,” Severus said and Hagrid slapped his shoulder - perhaps a little too harshly again.    
“Yeh got teh spirit professor!” he laughed out as Severus gave the man a very tight, barely noticeable, smile. 

Hagrid was starting to grow on him now that they had spent nearly an hour talking. Well, Hagrid did most of the talking and Severus had not paid much attention initially but he did now. There was just something about Hagrid that you could just not not like, something warm and fuzzy.  _ I can not believe I just thought he has something warm and fuzzy to him. Whatever is the matter with me, perhaps it’s the whiskey, or the exhaustion, or the shear strain I’m under. Warm and fuzzy, pfth, such nonsense… _ But Severus could not deny it, even if he wished he could. The man was pleasant company despite how blabbering and loud he was, or the claps and slaps that nearly knocked the air out of him completely. Hagrid was at heart gentle and happy, despite the misfortunes he had endured. 

Severus looked at the man for a moment as the thought of Hagrid's harsh life flashed in his head. The state of being half-giant, the accusations he had endured while at Hogwarts, the time he had spent in Azkaban for those false allegations that had been made towards him in his youth, the stares and the bullying he most likely had dealt with while young. Well, the stares still happened obviously - the man was huge and quite eye-catching with the huge beard and patched up coat of furs and the like. Severus had had his share of misfortune as well, yet he turned harsh and cold while Hagrid, by some miracle, remained gentle and kind in his ways. 

Perhaps Severus had judged the man too harshly before, now that he allowed the thoughts to be examined.    
“What yeh thinkin’ ‘bout professor?” Hagrid asked as he caught him looking intently on him. Severus tilted his head while he pondered still.    
“Well, Hagrid, I was just thinking,” he said as he furrowed his brows.    
“Yeah?”    
“I might have judged you too hard before. Thinking very little of you, truth be told. Would you, give me an opportunity to make right that wrong?” Severus asked and he felt a bit, well, embarrassed and nervous all of a sudden. 

Hagrid just looked at him. A bit confused perhaps, but soon enough a warm smile spread over his lips and it made his whole face shine in delight.    
“‘Course professor!” he bellowed happily. Severus nodded.    
“Well, shall we start by having you call me Severus instead?” Hagrid’s eyes bulged at that and he went rather stiff and silent for a moment.    
“Yeh mean, as friends do?” Severus nodded slowly by tucking his chin in slightly. Hagrid’s face turned a bit red and he looked away from Severus.    
“I would be ‘appy teh call yeh Severus,” Hagrid said and his voice was a bit lower than usual.    
“Well then, might I call you Rubeus then?” Hagrid nodded with happy eyes and Severus gave another tight smile. 

“Well, it is late. I shall be heading off. Got a potion to brew and papers to grade,” Severus said with an effort at sounding not too gloomy, even if he was not quite sure he wanted to leave the warm pub just yet. But, he had no choice in the matter. He had already spent quite some time away from Hogwarts and his duties that day. Hagrid nodded at his words.    
“Well, it was nice teh talk with yeh, Severus,” Hagrid said and his voice turned a tad low on Severus’s name.    
“Likewise, Rubeus.” Severus turned to leave the man to his own but thought better of it. 

So he turned back and Hagrid looked at him. They were right at the same height when he was seated and Severus stood. Severus remained silent for a moment as he pondered what he actually wanted to say. He had no clue, to be honest. But something.    
“Thank you, for your assistance with the potion ingredient,” he said and Hagrid nodded happily. But Severus felt like he should do something more, now that Hagrid had agreed to allow him to right his wrongful image of the large man. 

“Say, would you be free Saturday afternoon?” Severus asked and Hagrid tilted his head as he nodded with a puzzled look. Severus took a slight breath as to stabilise himself a tad as he was not used to conversations such as this one with others. A conversation where he had no need to actually play the evil, dark, gloomy one. But he finally figured it out.

“Well, tea then. My office, four pm sharp.” Hagrid’s face lit up like a tree on Christmas and he nodded eagerly as words failed the usually outspoken, blabbering man. He was just so happy to be invited for tea, and by Severus no less, that he apparently could not verbalise it. So Severus nodded one last time before he turned around and left The Leaky Cauldron to head off to the closest Floo station to return to Hogwarts. 

He nearly smiled as he walked and felt a little lighter. He had received and accepted help, had listened patiently at a blabbering man and then somewhere along the road gotten complimented and possibly made a new friend. Who knew, perhaps there was a reason for the apparent absence of Aconite. Perhaps fate had given him a chance at a true friendship with someone that might actually understand what it is like to have had a less than a happy or easy life.  _ Who knows, perhaps I can even learn something from the jolly man. Most unlikely, but apparently life is full of surprises.  _


End file.
